HR1049: HR1049 Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day; last Wednesday of October each year; designate

This resolution responds to a sharp rise in opioid overdose deaths in Georgia, which the Department of Public Health says grew from 853 in 2019 to 1,718 in 2021, more than half linked to fentanyl. It notes fentanyl's extreme potency, its presence in schools, and the growing use of naloxone, an overdose antidote, on college campuses. The resolution formally designates the Wednesday of the last week in October each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia, timed to coincide with the national Red Ribbon Week drug prevention campaign. It directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies available to the public and press. The resolution does not create new funding, mandates, or programs; it is a symbolic designation and statement of legislative priorities.

• Designates the Wednesday of the last week in October each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia.
• Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
• States a legislative view that schools should provide educational materials and overdose prevention kits, without creating a legal mandate to do so.

The resolution mainly touches state government recordkeeping through the Clerk of the House, but its subject matter concerns middle and high school students, college students, schools, campus police, and Georgians affected by opioid and fentanyl overdoses.

While the resolution creates no new funding or legal requirements, the annual awareness day gives schools, health officials, and communities a recurring occasion to focus on fentanyl education, overdose symptoms, and naloxone availability, potentially shaping future policy discussions.

• The resolution's whereas clauses cite Department of Public Health data showing opioid overdose deaths rose from 853 in 2019 to 1,718 in 2021, over half tied to fentanyl.
• The operative resolving clause designates the Wednesday of the last week in October each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia.
• A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies available for distribution to the public and press.
• The text notes fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, underscoring the danger it describes.

1. 2026-03-12House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-03-12House Third Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-10House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
4. 2026-03-04House Postponed (House)
5. 2026-03-03House Postponed (House)
6. 2026-02-26House Postponed (House)
7. 2026-02-25House Postponed (House)
8. 2026-02-24House Postponed (House)

• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)Primary sponsor
• Floyd Griffin (D, HD-149)
• Bryce Berry (D, HD-056)
• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)
• Anissa Jones (D, HD-143)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 12, 2026

   159 yea, 0 nay (10 not voting, 7 absent)

   Adopt: House Vote #698

• opioid crisis
• fentanyl awareness
• drug prevention
• school safety
• public health